Delhi Daredevils just cannot seem to catch a break in IPL 2013.
The only winless team remaining in the IPL came back from nowhere, after looking dead and buried, as RCB pair Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers smashed the away side into smithereens making a mockery of the 153-run target, before seeing a win, following a fantastic fightback, grasped from their hands in a Super Over thriller.
After Delhi posted 152 for seven, Kohli and De Villiers, who scored 65 and 39 respectively, were taking their side to an easy victory, before the latter's wicket triggered a collapse of epic proportions, leading to the Super Over.
Umesh Yadav conceded 15 runs in his Super Over, with De Villiers smashing the fast bowler for two straight sixes in the last couple of deliveries.
Ravi Rampaul was given the job of restricting Delhi to below 15, and he picked up David Warner in the first ball, with the left-hander cutting straight to Chris Gayle at point.
Irfan Pathan hit a couple of nice pickup shots for a four and a six in the next three, with a single taken in the fifth, leaving Ben Rohrer with the job of scoring five from the last. Rampaul knocked out the off stump off the ground in the final ball to seal a memorable victory for RCB, who had lost to the Sunrisers in a Super Over earlier in the tournament.
The Daredevils remain without a single win in five matches, while RCB maintain their charge at the top of the table with another victory at home.
There was no Gaylestorm blowing in Bangalore this time as Gayle and fellow opener KL Rahul lost their wickets quickly.
Rahul (12) was lucky to survive for 12 balls, but his chancy stay ended when he mistimed a shot to mid-on with Mahela Jayawardene completing the catch much to the delight of Ashish Nehra.
Gayle struck Morne Morkel for a six in the next over, but was trudging back the next, as his slice went flying straight to newly-engaged Umesh Yadav at third man.
From there on, there was just one team in the game until a dramatic last four overs, as Kohli and De Villiers mauled the Daredevils bowlers to all parts of the ground, making sure the packed crowd at the Chinnaswamy did not miss the fireworks of Gayle.
The duo played some delightful cricket shots, posting a team record partnership 103 for the third wicket.
De Villiers (39, 32b, 3x4, 1x6) ran himself out with RCB on 129 for two, needing another 24 runs from four overs, and that changed the game on its head.
Andrew McDonald then gave Delhi some hope, caught and bowled by Shahbaz Nadeem for nought.
With RCB needing 23 from the last three overs, Delhi sensed a remarkable victory, keeping things tight, and forcing another run out, that of Arun Karthik.
RCB now needed 17 from 12, and Syed Mohammad did not make things any easy for the home side, gifting his wicket to Delhi, holing out at long-on while going for a ridiculously stupid slog, when all he needed to do was give Kohli the strike.
Next ball, Yadav (two for 22) scalped the big one. Kohli (65, 50b, 7x4, 1x6) smashed a wide delivery to offside, but only found Jayawardene at cover as Delhi started to dream of their first win in IPL 2013.
With Kohli back in the hut, RCB needed 12 from the last over as Ravi Rampaul and R Vinay Kumar looked to rescue their side from the self-inflicted disaster.
Rampaul smashed a six off the first ball from Pathan, before the two batsmen managed another five runs to take the game to a Super Over.
In the first innings, Delhi Daredevils scrambled their way to 152 for five, with not a single player reaching 30.
Of all the seven batsmen that took the crease, every single one of them reached double figures, but no-one could convert that into a big score.
The much vaunted Virender Sehwag-David Warner duo threatened to catch fire for the first time in IP 2013, but after putting together 43 runs in five-and-a-half overs.
Warner (15, 13b, 3x4) slapped a ball from Vinay Kumar right back at the bowler, with the RCB man sticking his hand out and completing a brilliant catch.
Without a further run being scored, RCB picked up Sehwag (25, 23b, 4x4) as well, flicking one to Kohli at midwicket off Andrew McDonald's first delivery leaving the Daredevils on 43 for two.
Manprit Juneja, 17 in 16 balls, was the third player to get a decent start before throwing his wicket away, with Ben Rohrer (14) following suit after a little under 20 runs as Jayawardene was given the job of lighting up in the final overs.
But, the DD skipper was run out for 28, with Kedar Jadhav and Pathan striking the ball nicely in the last couple of overs to convert a 130-odd score to 152.
